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Claudia is an American who moved with her Cypriot husband and two young children to Cyprus eight years ago. Her MBA in Corporate Finance did little for her on the island nation, so she reached deep and got imaginative. With a bit of ingenuity and dumb luck, she dusted off her experience as an actress and landed her dream job as a Radio Show personality.(More)

When a time for a big change comes and the seeking for a new place to start a new life in starts, people just sit and stare at the globe, wondering where to go. The globe doesn’t have any answers, but we do.
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We've had the opportunity to host many excellent guest posts on our
services site, Expat-Quotes. We are posting some of the best here on the
last tuesday of every month. While these tips pertain to an expat's experience in the Netherlands,
his tips can help you be a successful visitor to any country.

At the start of spring, armies of confused looking tourists clutching maps suddenly appear on every street corner of Holland like members of a badly organised invasion. If they are not busy interrogating the locals for hotel directions, tourists keep themselves occupied by trying to put money through the card slot of the ticket machines at central station or by asking several times if a tram is going to the destination which is clearly written upon it in very large letters.

Before moving to Canada the only consideration I gave to language was with regard to accent; I remembered hearing somewhere that Canadians had a softer accent than their neighbors across the border and I was relieved; easing in gently sounded like a good plan. I was coming from England so it wasn’t as though I was going to be unintelligible to anyone – or so I thought.

You say tomayto, I say tomahto

I ran into problems on day two. I was staying in a hotel with my husband while we looked for rental accommodation. I had a tiny cut on my finger that kept catching on things so, on my way out to dinner one evening, I asked at reception for a plaster. The young woman at the desk shot me a blank look and shifted uncomfortably in her chair before giving a little cough and asking if I'd like an elastic band.

Certain smells, sights and tastes can evoke strong emotional responses and these sensations can be further heightened during the holidays. The smell of a fresh cut Christmas tree, the sight of all of your family in one place, or the taste of your favorite winter drink can all spark feelings of homesickness.

While many experiences are difficult to recreate abroad, some things are obtainable. We are sharing seven favorite winter drinks from around the world to warm you up - mind, body and soul.

Glühwein

This ubiquitous GermanChristmas market drink does its best to warm the drinker as they peruse the many, many Christmas markets in every German city. A mulled wine, it is served hot in market-specific mugs that can be kept for the price of the deposit.

Generally composed of red wine, traditionally port and claret, it is seasoned with various spices and is drunk as soon as the weather grows cold till the end of winter.

Moving to a new country can open you up to a world of new opportunities - and new people. If you are on the hunt for love, thoughts of moving abroad can elicit images of exotic lovers, paradise locals, and spicy romances. Expat origin stories often involve falling in love with a local, or even moving around the world for love.

As fairy tale magical as these "How we met" stories can seem, the honeymoon period can be short in an intercultural relationship. Frustrations with a different culture can manifest within the relationship, and misunderstandings can multiple - especially when another language is involved. Relationships are no fairy tale - they're hard work!

The sing song do de doo
of skype is familiar to many of us. It's easy to see the attraction for the over 663 million registered users. Being apart from loved ones is always difficult and a simple phone call
can make all the difference. You can use it for local calls or to
connect with friends and family across the world. Whether it
is during the holidays
or just for a chat, connecting with our world is becoming easier than
ever.

Skype Services

Skype offers the ability to instant message, send files, conference
calls, voice mail, and video chat with other users through the internet.
Services online are free, with the ability to make phone calls to
non-users or mobile phones and land lines usually only costing pennies.
Registered users of Skype are identified by a unique Skype Name, and may
be listed in the Skype directory.

A simple question from @MissAboutTown brought up an issue most expats encounter,
"Six weeks after the permanent overseas move, homesickness is starting to strike. Anyone got advice on overcoming it?"
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Saying "hello" is more complicated than just knowing the language. So much of communication is non-verbal, greetings across cultures requires you to learn to speak another language with your actions. Greetings are determined by social etiquette, relationship of the people, and geographic location.

Tips on Being Polite

If you approach situations in a positive spirit and are flexible, rarely will you go wrong in a greeting. (More)